A Loud To Stay
by UndyingSpirit
Summary: [Disclaimer: Original story goes to a fellow named AnonSama . This version is a heavily-proofread, expanded story compared to the original source. PM for original source because can't link in summary nor story.] Lincoln discovers that he's adopted, where does he go from here? Mild swearing.


[Original story credit to AnonSama, reformatted/edited by me, Enjoy!]

All of the Loud children were in their rooms entertaining themselves in their own, unique ways. Lincoln was, as per usual, re-reading the latest issue of Ace Savvy in his undies. But everyone was soon interrupted by the booming voice of their father.

"Kids! Your Aunt Shirley is here!"

Lincoln panicked. "What?! No! That can't be today!"

He leapt from his bed to check the calendar, where he had marked with a huge red circle "Aunt Shirley", marked for...today! "Crud! I completely forgot!" He peeked outside his door to find all his sisters, also hesitating in their doorways, pondering whether they could just stay up here, forever.

"Kids! Downstairs, right now!" The loud children moaned harmoniously, and proceeded to slowly walk downstairs. Lincoln made one last sigh, got re-dressed, and followed his siblings.

"Kids!" Aunt Shirley's screeching voice overflowed through the house.

The children got in line, youngest to oldest. Preparations for Shirley's visits became routine, and expected what came next. Aunt Shirley went in line to each child and gave them an unwanted, repugnant kiss. "Aww, all of you have grown so much! Lori, practically a woman now! Oh, and Lily, already walking I see! How adorable!"

Aunt Shirley's visits were always so cringe-y. Lincoln just wanted to disappear, much like the other Loud children did.

"You know I think all your kids looked like Lily at her age!" Shirley said, turning to the dad.

"You think so?" spoke the father, scratching his head. "All their babyhoods just blend into one in my memory at this point."

"Oh nonsense, I'll even show you!"

Mom looked at her weirdly. "Show us?"

Aunt Shirley ran back into her car in the speed of lightning, and came back with a thick photo album in hand. "Here, I have all of their baby pictures in this album!"

Dad raised an eyebrow. "You... keep that in your car?"

"Hey that's my album! I thought I'd lost it!" Mom exclaimed.

"Never mind that now dear, everyone gather round! I'll show you."

Lincoln thought to himself, 'You know, I don't think I've ever seen myself as a baby.'

Aunt Shirley sat down on the couch and all of the children gathered around her. Lincoln climbed up on the back of the sofa to get a better look at the pictures. "See look there's Lori! Oh you were so adorable honey!" The picture showed a baby, who looked exactly like Lily, playing with the cord of a telephone. Lori glanced at the photo, rolled her eyes, and went back to texting on her phone.

"And there's Leni! Such a special child...well, you're still special darling." Leni responded with a wide smile. The picture showed Leni walking awkwardly on a coffee table, right at the edge, as if about to fall off. Aunt Shirley soon went through each and every picture she had till she came to Lincoln. Lincoln looked at the picture of a small blue eyed baby, with a bit of white fluff on his head, blowing bubbles at the camera. Lincoln warmly smiled, but then reflected on the image he was seeing; he didn't really look like his sisters as a baby.

"Oh, well I guess not all of you looked the same, but I suppose it makes sense in Lincoln's case."

"Why?" Lola suddenly asked.

Mom quickly interrupted. "Because he's a boy! Of course...!"

"Yeah! Dingus!" Lana snapped at Lola, who stuck her tongue out in retaliation.

Aunt Shirley took nearly two hours getting through them all. "Imagine that, just one album full up with just your baby pictures."

"Yeah, I'd like that album back please..." Mom snarled. Aunt Shirley ignored her, continuing to talk. "It's so crazy to think of 11 children in this house. I expect there will be more." she shifted her eyes to Mom and Dad.

"We've no more room left in this house for a twelfth" Dad replied.

"I think you ran out of room 7 kids ago! I still can't imagine it, when you had Luan I thought, that's it! That was the end of it. But then you got pregnant again with Lynn. I thought you two were insane! Then, without any warning, you brought Lincoln home with you, which was beyond crazy!"

Lincoln lifted his head. '...wait, brought me home with them... without any warning? What was that supposed to mean?'

"When Mom was pregnant with me, she must have told you about it...right?" Lincoln asked curiously, with one eyebrow raised.

"Oh...umm…o-of course dear. My mind and mouth must have wandered off again!" She fabricated a laugh.

"Oh wow look at the time Aunt Shirley, we should really get going or we'll miss that dinner reservation we have with your new boyfriend" Dad interrupted, harshly.

"Oh darn!" Aunt Shirley gasped, more genuine than her previous laugh. "Well, it was so nice seeing you all again! One last hug and kiss from everyone?"

There was a slight grumble from all the kids, but they surrendered without defiance. When the parents and Aunt Shirley left, Lincoln went back up to his room after his sisters had long done so before him, feeling weirded out by the recent conversation that just occurred. Later, he pondered the scene over and over again in his head.

'Then, without any warning, you brought Lincoln home with you, beyond crazy!'

"That was... a strange way of saying it..." Lincoln said to himself. He then thought back further into the day, recounting Aunt Shirley's entire visit. There was something else she said that stood out as being unusual, in regards to Lincoln's baby pictures.

'Oh well I guess not all of you looked the same but I suppose it makes sense in Lincoln's case.'

Lincoln sat on his bed, one hand grasping his chin, thinking out loud. "...Because I'm a boy...right?" Lincoln was puzzled, it was bothering so much and he didn't know why. Eventually, Lincoln gave up and made a loud sigh, and saw his Ace Savvy comic still open on the page he left off at. He was ready to pull down his zipper, but suddenly felt thirsty. Then he remembered the soda he had hidden in the vegetable drawer of the fridge, and eagerly ran downstairs to reclaim it.

"Yes! It's still here!" He pulled the tab and took a refreshing gulp. Relaxed, he walked back into the living room to enter the hallway. However, he stopped, and looked at the family picture he took, hanging over the mantle. Lincoln reached for the photo, carefully grabbing it, and sat on the couch. Lincoln squinted his eyes, examining the faces of each and every one of his sisters, taking particular note of their brown and blonde hair, obviously inherited from their father and mother respectively. The shape of their noses, all similar to one another, their amber eyes as well. Finally, he took a good, long look at himself: white hair, round nose, blue eyes. He didn't really look like the others. In fact, he didn't look like them at all...

He…didn't even look like his Mom or Dad...

Lincoln's hands began to tremble; he almost dropped the portrait before swiftly regaining control of his motor functions. Lincoln's brain began to rush, searching wildly, looking for an answer to all of this; well, for an answer that he would've liked.

"There's obviously a good reason for...this...right?" he desperately reasoned.

But no matter how hard he worked his brain, the end result was the same. There was only one, logical answer. Lincoln's eyes widened, breathing in and out in rhythm with his panicked heart.

"N...no! t-that can't be true! They would have told me if it was!" Lincoln dropped the portrait on the sofa, walking backwards until hitting the wall. "There's...there's no way...!" Lincoln tried to think if ways to prove to himself, that he's wrong, that he really was a Loud. That he IS a Loud.

"B-Birth certificate! I have a birth certificate, same as everyone else!"

Lincoln rushed upstairs and made an enormous leap to the dangling attic door handle, pulling down the folding stairs. Lincoln had been up here before, noticing a cardboard box full of filed away documents. 'It's probably where Mom and Dad put away everyone's certificates.' He got on his knees and flicked through all the file tabs: House deed, Pet insurance cards, Certificate of birth for Lori Loud.

"Yes!" Lincoln shouted, examining his entire sister's documents, until he came across his own, the last one, conveniently.

"...huh...?"

Lincoln followed the document word, by word. He read it quietly to himself:

"Amended Certificate of Birth, Name: Lincoln Loud, Sex: Male, Legal Guardians, Estimated date of birth: unknown. Time of Birth: Unknown?!"

Lincoln began to hyperventilate. He dropped the paper on the ground, sprinted out of the attic, and charged into his room, collapsing in front of his door for security. Inhaling in hushed panicked tones, he felt complete disbelief.

"T...There's a reason! They, they must of... they..."

Lincoln's throat began to constrict and hurt. He couldn't speak anymore; now, only left with his flustered mind, forcing him to accept the evidence. He swallowed hard, trying to calm himself down, force back down the tears that were about to drown his eyes. He wrapped his arms around his legs, sitting down in a fetal position. And with that, he began to calm down. 'Deep breaths in, deep breaths out' he mentally chanted. Still, Lincoln did not want to accept it; however, all he knew right now was what evidence he pieced for himself. But there was only one way he would truly know, one way to accept it.

He had to ask someone.

"But Mom and Dad are out tonight, I can't wait that long!"

Although his parents were out for the night, There is at least one other person in this house who would know. Lincoln stood up, and took hold of his door knob, asking himself if this is a good idea. "I could be wrong about everything, and then she'll just laugh at me, or get annoyed for bothering her like always...but..." Lincoln had already made his mind up however.

He stepped outside, and made a long trek across the hallway. The hallway somehow appeared to be miles longer than usual, quiet, and intimidating. But Lincoln found the courage to face the hallway, and made the long trek down to the opposite end of the landing, and turned left, now facing Lori's door. Lincoln stood at that door, placing his right hand lightly against it, slowly closing it into a fist, and knocked twice.

Behind the door, Lincoln could hear the muffled sounds of a feminine voice. Suddenly, the door opened. "Hahaha yeah, okay just hang on for a second Bobby", said the eldest Loud sibling before shooting him a frustrated glance. "What? What do you want twerp?"

Lincoln could feel his throat hurt again, as he looked up at Lori's face. It wasn't too late to back down. He could simply apologize for disturbing her, and run back to his room. Maybe he'd ask his parents when they'd come home.

'...no' he thought. 'If I can't talk to Lori about this, I'll never find the courage to ask mom and dad'.

Lincoln grabbed his right arm, and took a strong breath.

"Lori...am I...adopted?"

Lori's scowl evolved into a shocked, petrified expression.

Silence. Utter silence. No angry reply, no absurd shouting, just empty silence.

Lincoln kept his eyes to the ground, patiently awaiting an answer. Lori stood there, dumbfounded, for what seemed like an eternity, until a voice could once again be heard from her phone.

"Oh...hey…yeah... I gotta call you back baby, I, uh, urgent business." Lori speedily ended the call. Lincoln looked up again at Lori's face, with innocently pleading puppy dog eyes.

"Ugh, okay... why don't you come in for a minute?" Lori waved him through, while Lincoln proceeded to slowly enter Lori's room, this time, with permission.

The second eldest sibling noticed her little brother. "Hey Lincoln!" she squealed and gasped. "Are we having a slumber party?!" Leni gleed with delight.

"Hey Leni, we're gonna play hide and seek. So, we need you to go sit in that corner, facing the wall, with your fingers in your ears, and count to 100" spoke Lori with fake enthusiasm.

"Okay!" Leni soon did as Lori asked. "Oooooooone...Twooooooooooooo…"

Lori, satisfied with her compliance, addressed her little brother. "Lincoln, take a seat on my bed."

Lincoln complied, and sat at the end of her bed, followed by Lori sitting down beside him.

"sigh...I-I don't really think it should have been me to tell you this..." Lincoln glanced up at Lori before quickly averting his gaze to the floor again, clenching his fists in anticipation for what he feared he was about to hear. "Was it what Aunt Shirley said earlier?"

Lincoln nodded. Lori sighed heavily again.

"Linc... you know...it doesn't matter... right?" At her words, Lincoln closed his eyes in slight pain.

"...So...it's true..." Lincoln wiped a tear in his eye. "I'm...not really a Loud..."

"No Lincoln! You are!" Lori took a moment to gather her thoughts. "...I think I was six at the time...after Lynn was born, Mom and Dad wanted another child. Pfft, can you believe it? Another child, after having five already…" Lori chuckled to herself lightly. Then she looked at Lincoln, who now was wearing the most miserable face. Her smile instantly vanished. "...But they were having some difficulty, making another child. However...they just wouldn't give up. So... they sought out alternative methods. They, looked into... adoption agencies, and, after a number of really hard months, one day, they came home...with you. Heh, of course three years later they manage to pop out Lucy so whatever problems they were having-"

Lori was interrupted by the sound of Lincoln's sudden sobbing. He was desperately trying to hold it in, but it was too late; the dam had already burst.

Lori hugged her brother tightly. "Linc...you know what's special about you? Mom gave birth to me and the rest sure, but they had no idea what we were going to be like. They just had to love us, whether they liked it or not. But you're different. They chose you, Lincoln. When they first met you, you won them over. And they fell in love with you, unconditionally. They knew, from the moment they looked at you, that you were a Loud."

Lincoln tried to dry his eyes with his hands, still sniffling, but Lori's words had lifted his spirits. "R...really..?" He smiled, still red-eyed and puffy.

"Really bro, you know I remember the day you first came home, we all fell for you too, although it was sorta weird having a brother. Sometimes you'd walk around butt naked with your boy parts all dangling about…"

Lincoln's face turned scarlet and frowned, embarrassingly. "Lori...!" he sneered, pushing her slightly.

"Hahaha I'm just kidding with you bro." Lori Laughed. "But you are our brother, Lincoln... nothing will ever change that..."

Lincoln felt reborn for a moment, but he started to think of new questions now. 'Who were my real parents? Are they alive? Do I have another name?' Questions Lori would never know the answer to. Things seemed different, but in reality, nothing at all had changed. He knew who he was:

Lincoln Loud, the only son in a family with ten sisters.

Lincoln gave his sister a warm, affectionate hug. "Thanks Lori…"

"Don't mention it Linc. No seriously, Mom and Dad would freak if they knew I told you."

"Hehehe, yeah okay!"

Lori stretched her body reflexively. "Alright, go on, get out of here..."

Lincoln stood up from her bed and soon walked to the door.

"Goodnight Lincoln!" said Lori, smiling.

Lincoln turned around and grinned as best as he could.

"Goodnight...Sis..."

Despite Lori's unusually compassionate conversation, Lincoln found it hard to sleep. 'Maybe Lori was right, just because I'm not, biologically related, I'm still an important member of this family,' he thought to himself. However, whether he liked it or not, after opening this can of worms, his perception on his life has changed. Being the only boy in his family was already hard enough, that was different enough. But now, knowing that he's not even related to any of the other 12 people in the house, he truly began to feel like an outsider. At one point, Lincoln just wished that he could go back to yesterday, back before he learned any of this. However there was one question in his head that wouldn't go away.

"Why… did they give me up?"

Lincoln tried to picture what his parents looked like in his mind, but the only faces he could imagine were the visages of Mom and Dad.

"But, they're-"

From outside, Lincoln could hear the sound of a car pulling up in the driveway. Lincoln, growing fidgety and uncomfortable in his bed, walked out and sat on the top of the stairs, waiting for them to walk in. Once his Mom opened the door, she immediately noticed her son.

"Honey, it's past midnight!"

"What are you doing up sport?" said the Dad, following his wife into the house.

Lincoln quickly shifted his eyes away, thinking of a way to answer. He looked back at them, and gave a large, false smile. "I…just missed you, and wanted to be up to tell you goodnight!"

"Hmm, well you've said it" Mom walked up and gave Lincoln a hug. Dad followed.

"Goodnight sweetie!"

"Night kiddo!"

Lincoln embraced the woman he had been calling "Mom" for his whole life. Unconsciously, he was not willing to let go, and a tear fell softly from his cheek. Mom immediately took notice.

"Honey, is everything okay?" she asked, in a compassionate, yet concerned tone.

Consciously, Lincoln was afraid to let go. If his real parents could simply give him away, then Mom and Dad could just as easily do so too. After all, they didn't have to love him. Mom tried to get a response out of him again, rubbing his head. "Sweetie..?"

Lincoln rubbed his eyes into his mom's chest, trying to dry his eyes in the fabric of her clothing without her noticing. He looked up at her, attempting a grin.

"I'm fine...I guess I'm just a little tired."

Mom looked at his face. His eyes were slightly bloodshot, and she noticed the muscles in his face, forcing a smile, despite needing to do the exact opposite. She knew there was something wrong. But he was also clearly tired, and she decided not to ask further, hoping he'll open up in the morning. She placed her hand on his cheek and returned his smile. "Okay...Goodnight Lincoln, I love you very much."

Her words hit Lincoln hard, and he felt an overwhelming sensation to let his emotions loose. But instead, he released his mother, and rushed quickly to his room without saying a word.

The following morning came.

The day greeted Lincoln with the loud ringing of an electric guitar; Luna's typical way of saying "Good morning" to everybody. Lincoln crawled out of bed with dark bags under his eyes; he didn't get much sleep last night. Lincoln exited his room to trek down the hallway to the bathroom, passing by all his sisters' rooms. As he was doing this, he would peer into their open doors; Lisa blew up her room again, the twins were fighting, Lynn was cartwheeling downstairs, Lucy stopping him in his tracks...

'Wait wha-'

"Hello Lincoln" said the gloomy goth.

"Gah!...oh, uh, morning…" he panted, his heart racing as usual when his younger sister appeared.

"I wrote another poem today, it's called: Outsider."

Lincoln raised an eyebrow, bracing himself. "Uhhh..." It was way too early for a poetry reading, Lincoln mentally stated; however in more than one way at this point.

"Sat alone, and at home, where my screams were silent, but my mind, violent."

Lincoln quickly glanced at the bathroom door, the only escape route from Lucy's dreary poems.

"My insecurities, hiding deep inside. All the while, eating me alive."

Lincoln's heart began to hurt. Usually Lucy's poems would only weird him out to a degree, but now he felt like he wanted to run as far away as possible.

"Outside, I hear a grimly birdsong. Chanting repeatedly, 'You don't belong.'"

"I...I-I...gotta pee!" Lincoln rushed down the hallway, charged the door down, and securely locked it from inside. Lincoln tried to regulate his breathing again. "...Okay...calm down man!...It's just another, normal day in the Loud house...You're...You're a part of this family, just...just like everyone else...even if you're adopted."

"Adopted?"

Lincoln heard a sister's voice from behind the shower curtain. The girl swiftly pulled them open.

"L...Leni?! W-w-what are you doing here?!"

"I was looking for you! We were playing hide and seek remember? Oh! Found you!" Leni pointed at him with a wide, cute smile across her face.

"O-Oh...right…" he had also forgotten, probably as much as Lori did. No surprise since the two essentially ignored Leni when they talked last night.

"So anyway, what does that, 'adopted', like, mean? *gasp* are you sick?!"

"N-no! I'm okay, really!" Lincoln wildly searched his brain to think of an answer." Oh…I-It means nothing really, don't worry about it. It's...hard to explain."

"Hmmm, okay! I'll go ask mom and dad, they can explain stuff really well!"

Lincoln jumped in front of the door, blocking Leni's path. "Wait! I can try to explain! It's...It's uhh...the scientific word...for...having...a chip in your tooth! Yeah that's right! Having a chipped tooth!" Lincoln pointed to his teeth to show emphasis before waving off his words with a forced chuckle, hands now down at his sides.

Leni paused, and looked at Lincoln with a blank expression. "Ooooooooooooh, okay! Pfft, well duh! Even if you're adopted, you're still a part of this family, silly!"

Lincoln grabbed his right arm with his left hand, raising both of his shoulders, as if trying to stretch, but rather to hide his head in them, awkwardly laughing.

"Y...yeah, what was I thinking..."

"Anyway, I'm gonna go take a nap. Lori was totes easy to find, she just tried to hide in her bed, but I couldn't find you anywhere! See ya later Lincoln!" Leni promptly left the bathroom, and Lincoln locked the door behind her.

"I really need to start using my inside voice…"

Lincoln went to the sink to brush his teeth and his hair. Once he put the toothpaste on his brush, he looked up at the mirror to begin cleaning his teeth, but paused. He still didn't look like his parents, or sisters. In an attempt to put away his own thoughts, Lincoln quietly whispered to himself, "You're a Loud...". He then proceeded to brush his teeth, and soon left to go get changed.

"Yo Lincoln!" Lynn barged into Lincoln's room while he was still changing.

"L-Lynn!" Lincoln quickly covered himself.

"Let's go Bro! I need you to help me with my parkour skills!"

Lincoln wasn't feeling up to it, but before he could decline, Lynn grabbed his arm and pulled him out of his room. '*sigh* well, I suppose I better do something today,' he thought in defeat.

It was another hectic Saturday in the Loud house. A routine but wild tradition of spending time with all his sisters: Jamming with Luna, fake laughing at Luan's terrible jokes, and avoiding her pranks, roughhousing with Lynn, just the usual happenings. He didn't have any time to himself; unable to just relax in his room and read comics, or play video games, which was probably for the best. If he was alone during this dark time for him, he'd just be feeling miserable again. He spent all of his time helping his sisters out with their hobbies, playing, and just general bonding. Although the day started out rough, Lincoln forgot all about his abnormal lineage, and just had fun. It was a good day, a quick day, but good.

After dinner, everyone sat in the living room, the parents and kids being stuck in their own thing; Luan talking to her puppet, Lori texting, Lola "admiring" herself, the usual. Grinning, Lynn managed to sneak a basketball into the living room without anybody noticing. An innocently devious thought came to her as she eyed her favorite target.

"HeyLincthinkfast!" she quickly shouted, throwing the ball at a blinding speed.

"Think wha-ow!" The basket ball hit him directly in his face, making him fall backwards, and down at Leni's feet. Leni suddenly spoke up in concern.

"Be careful with Lincoln's face Lynn, or he might get adopted again!"

The entire room froze, every small noise seemingly vacuumed out into space.

All there was left was the muted gasps of Mom, and Lori, covering her mouth as if to stop herself from screaming at her younger sister. Soon, all 12 pairs of eyes fell upon the 11 year old boy in the room, whose face turned a shade whiter than his hair.

Leni curiously looked around the room, at all the jaw dropped faces, and then turned to look at Lincoln. "...What?..." She shrugged breaking the silence.

"Lincoln's adopted?" Lana asked, mouth agape.

Luna squinted her eyes at Lincoln. "Whoa, wait...what?" was all she could muster before Lori placed a hand on her mouth.

"Lincoln?" Lynn tilted her head at him like a confused dog, taking a bit longer to process the sudden turn in the conversation.

"Uh, kids!" Dad tried to grab everyone's attention, but failed.

"That explains a lot" Lucy replied in her monotone voice. Lori shot her a glance that portrayed a stern message: 'Not helping! Shut it!'

"Well he was always the quiet Loud hehe…oh!" Luan quickly covered her mouth, realizing the sensitivity of this sudden declaration. At this point Lori thought, 'Dammit, why now?!'

Mom tried again to bring everyone's attention to her. "Okay everyone just calm dow-"

"Well it was obvious. He lacked many of the distinct, genetic facial characteristics that the rest of us share, inheriting his own." Lisa said, examining Lincoln as she spoke, almost uncaring of what her words were doing to her older brother. At this point Lori wished she could mute her sisters' speech with just a snap of her fingers.

"Does that mean Lincoln's not a part of the family?" Lola inquired, obnoxiously. 'You know what, forget it' Lori sighed mentally, drained from the entire shit hitting the fan.

"Girls!" Mom shouted sternly, finally succeeding to distract everyone from their tedious questioning.

The room fell silent again, with only the sound of Lincoln panicking, trembling on his knees. All of their eyes were on him, with the pressure of knowing that everyone in his family has just realized that he's not one of them. He was no better than some pet that Mr. and Mrs. Loud brought home one day, he began to believe. It was too much for him to take in, and feeling ashamed, he looked down at his knees, his fingers, digging into the palms of his hands. Tears started to fall from his eyes, and began to make painful whimpers. Frustration and anxiety were welling up, soon fighting against his reflexes.

"Lincoln, honey..." started Mom in a mildly desperate tone, raising her hand to comfort her "child".

Gritting his teeth and unable to cope with the burden of all these eyes upon him, Lincoln speedily got up and burst out the front door in a wild sprint.

"LINCOLN!" The family's words were nothing but a cry upon deaf ears to the saddened boy.

The sun had long since set behind the hillsides. All there was to illuminate Lincoln's path, through his blurred vision were the dense, yellow streetlights and speeding headlights. He ran as fast and as far as he could, to anywhere he could find sanctuary from his woes. Lincoln had run over half a mile before he finally collapsed from complete and utter exhaustion, just beside Ketcham Park. He fell to his hands and knees, attempting to recover his breath. Wracked with his increasing sadness, he let his body collapse onto the cold grass.

And as he lay there, his mind began to drown him with violently self-loathing thoughts. It was over, everyone knew that he was just some impostor who tricked himself into thinking he had a family. How could he possibly face them again? Even if he did go back, nobody could ever truly look at him the same way again. It wasn't right to ask them to love him like he really was a brother, like he was "their" brother. Lincoln grasped at the soil tightly as it absorbed his tears, engulfed in a concoction of anger, sorrow, and above all, shame. Only the night could hear his whimpers, strangely sympathetic in its silence. He ended up crying himself empty.

After his cries fell quiet, Lincoln felt his head becoming heavy, almost too hard for his neck and shoulders to carry. Calmly, he picked himself up, only realizing now how exhausted he was. He trudged over to a set of swings, the only place in the playground where he could sit. For a time, he sat motionless, the bitter coldness of the dusk air swiftly surrounding him. He grabbed hold of his arms to keep warm, finding his legs unable to move. He wondered if the night wind would be able to take him far from this pain. But to no avail.

"Lincoln!" A desperate voice shouted.

From a good distance, Lincoln could hear his name echoing in the blackness.

"Lincoln!" The voice was drawing closer.

"They're looking for me," he thought out loud, then sighed. "Of course they are... they must be really worried" Lincoln covered his eyes, and pulled harshly at his bangs. "I'm such an idiot" he murmured to himself wracked with guilt, tears ready to burst again.

"Lincoln!" A pair of voices now called to him.

Lincoln peered up slowly, and noticed two silhouettes, mere meters away from him. They must have seen him too, as the next thing he knew, one of the shadows came charging at him.

"Lincoln!" Luan threw her arms around Lincoln solidly, picking him up from the swing in the process.

"Dude! Why'd you run off like that, bro?!" Luna exclaimed, bringing up the rear. "Everyone's out looking for you!"

Lincoln couldn't say a word. While there was a heft of anger in Luna's voice, Luan bawled her eyes out, her voice quivering between her crying and sniffling.

"You ran out in the dark...and then we all began to fight...and then we went out to look for you...and we were so scared...and...and…" Luan's sobs impeded her sympathetic words.

Lincoln kept his head down, with a hollow expression on his face, and although he was hanging on to every word, he was simply too fatigued to deliver any response, even while being crushed by his comedic sister.

"C'mon man, say something!" shouted the rocker.

"...I'm...sorry..." he muttered in exhaustion, and every bit as hollow as his disposition.

"Don't be sorry! Just..." Luna began to soften her tone, "Just...don't...run away from us like that..."

Lincoln looked into his sister's eyes. He opened his mouth to respond but found himself mute.

Luna, seeing his tired, puffy red eyes looking back at her, felt bad at the previous yelling and slapped a palm on her temple in slight remorse. "*sigh* let's just go home. I'll call mom and dad." Tapping Luan's shoulder, Luna gestured them to return home. Luan nodded and wiped her tears with her forearm. Both Luan and Luna offered to hold Lincoln's hands along the way, but Lincoln, completely drained of his will, stared down in silence, unconsciously tracing his steps behind the two sisters, back in the direction of his now "adopted" home.

The three of them walked back to the house, the only one in the neighborhood with every light on, shining through the windows, like a beacon of hope. Lincoln however was numb to the notion that any light could've been anything to him other than blinding. The front door was wide open, occupied with concerned and confused faces. As they walked into the driveway, Mom, appearing from the door frame, ran towards them, fell on her knees and embraced Lincoln. This time, she couldn't let go of him. Or rather, she wouldn't let go until he was no longer sad.

"...Lincoln...my dearest little boy…" She tightly embraced her fragile son.

Dad followed her into the driveway, got down on one knee and placed his hand on Lincoln's shoulder, hoping to help his "son" feel at ease.

Lincoln weakly responded, "I'm sorry for making you worry." His voice was noticeably, and understandably, catatonic. Enough so that it could've made his gothic little sister sound more upbeat than usual.

"No sweetheart, I'm sorry..." His mother's words oozed with sympathy and a bit of guilt.

The rest of the Loud children surrounded the door frame, blocking any light coming through, but dared not to walk out, only able to bear witness to such a sorrowful reunion.

Lincoln softly breathed. "Mom...I..."

"Shhhhhh...It's okay now baby...everything's going to be okay" she repeated while brushing her son's back and head in motherly affection.

Dad let out a heaving sigh, "I guess it's time we talked about...that."

As they walked into the house, Dad instigated for the girls to go up to their rooms, while Mom escorted Lincoln into the living room. She guided Lincoln onto the couch and sat beside him on his left, while Dad sat down on his right, as they would do when talking about serious matters. Of course, none of the girls actually returned to their rooms, and gathered around at the top of the stairs to eavesdrop on the impending conversation.

"I guess we should have told you a long time ago. Although we wish that it could've gone better for you than to have found out like...that…" Dad said.

"We're so sorry honey, we really never meant for you to hear of it like that, but, we just couldn't think of when to tell you, or how."

Lincoln rubbed his hands together in his lap, not speaking a word.

"But what we really wanna say honey is that...although I may not have given birth to you, I'm still you're mom, and he's still you're dad."

"...even though I'm not your son?"

"You most certainly are." Mom softly said. "You've always been our son. The first time I had seen your face I knew that I was looking at my boy."

"We love you so much kiddo, you're just as important to us as the girls."

Lincoln thought about his sisters, and how they all now know that he's not related to them by blood. Surely that must have changed their perspective of him.

"But…they all..."

"Love you as well. They were all so worried when you left all of a sudden," Dad interjected, recalling the events a few moments ago. "It was the first time I'd seen Lucy cry since she was just a year old."

Lincoln tried to picture that, but it was impossible without seeing it for himself.

"You're their brother, Lincoln, I promise they will never think of you as anything less."

Upstairs the girls continued to listen in. "I still don't get what any of this has got to do with his teeth!" Everyone glanced at Leni. "SHHHHHH!"

Lincoln felt his voice come back to him, but there was only one question he was interested in. He took a deep breath, and bravely spoke up.

"Mom, Dad, can I..." Lincoln felt nervous for asking the burning question. "Can I ask you...about my...other parents?"

Mom and Dad looked at each other worryingly, as if trying to delve into the minds of one another, hoping that somewhere, they could find an appropriate answer to their son's innocent question. Maybe it was better to not answer him, they pondered. Tell him now that they'll explain when he's older, when the heat died down. They could lie; possibly think of a bittersweet story that could satisfy Lincoln's curiosity, so maybe he can move on sooner.

But lying and keeping secrets were what got them into this mess in the first place. They could either do the easy thing, or the right thing. In the end, the right thing to do was to be honest. They nodded to each other in synchronization and looked down at Lincoln, rubbing his hair, holding him, so that he feels close, and protected.

"Oh sweetheart...we…we don't...know who they are..."

Lincoln lifted his eyes onto his adoptive mother's face.

"Nobody knew who they were..." Dad continued.

"When we first met you in the nursery, the nurses and doctors told us your story."

Mom placed Lincoln in her arms.

"They told us...that some kids found a newborn baby boy, mere hours old, wailing loudly in a cardboard box under a highway overpass." It wasn't easy to re-imagine the origin of Lincoln, and certainly it wasn't even easier to retell it in front of the little boy.

Lincoln's eyes widened "W-What?" he whispered to himself.

"You...were probably left there all night..." the father spoke in a seriously depressing tone.

"When they found you, they made a report, and tried to look for your mother but… she never came forward..." The mom quivered at the thought of a mother not coming to claim her child.

Lincoln didn't quite know how he was supposed to take the news, neither could he define what he was feeling, listening to it.

"I was...abandoned?"

Mom began to pet the back of his hair. "...It's an ugly word...but..." She couldn't think of a way to finish that sentence.

Lincoln suddenly spoke up. "D-Did she...leave a note or...anything at least?" Desperation was evident in his voice.

Dad continued with the conversation. "There wasn't anything else in that box, just a baby."

Lincoln grew hazy. 'She hated me' he chanted in his mind, over and over, 'they…didn't want me'.

"...what was wrong...with me?" he muttered softly.

His words pierced his mother's soul with a pain that no amount of anesthetic could numb. "Nothing was wrong with you sweetie, you're perfect!"

"But they must've hated me...that's why they…"

The father felt his heart sink as Lincoln continued to be doubtful of his existence. "Shhhh, Lincoln...don't think things like that... We might not ever know why they did that, but it wasn't your fault." The father soon tried to steer the conversation back into the positive light. "You're a really special kid Lincoln, anyone in their right mind could see that."

"They didn't..." he replied coldly.

"Then they weren't in their right minds! But none of that matters now anyways, you're here Lincoln, part of our family," his father spoke with some confidence.

"All I can say is, whoever they were, they missed out on something wonderful. Because you are part of the reason our lives are worth living..." Mom spoke with as much warmth as she could muster.

He looked up at the faces of his parents, who were grinning warmly at him.

"You're our little boy, now and forever. Never forget that."

Lincoln felt slightly uplifted from their declaration, but weakly returned their smile with a half-hearted one.

"Is there anything else you wanted to ask us?"

"...no..." A lie if his heart was in it, but out of complete exhaustion, he responded.

"Well...it's getting late, you can take the day off school tomorrow if you want..."

"I...think I'll be okay." Not so much of a lie than his other response.

"Well...If you need anything during the night, you can always come down and ask." Mom and Dad each took a turn hugging him tightly, followed by a kiss from Mom. They all stood up from the couch and urged their son to bed. "Goodnight, Lincoln."

"...Goodnight..." he responded meekly.

As Lincoln walked to the stairs and put his hand on the banisters, he heard a stampede flee the scene, followed by a sequential number of doors slamming. He sighed, "They heard everything...again..." Lincoln slowly climbed the stairs, walked across the landing, and touched the doorknob of his room; behind him, he heard a door creek open.

"Lola?"

Without warning and before he could turn around, Lola gave her brother a hug in silence. Lana came out immediately next, and over the course of a few seconds, everyone had exited their rooms, walked down the second floor hallway, and embraced their brother in a silent, group hug.

Time had passed since they had that talk, and daily life in the Loud house seemed even more chaotic. For almost every day since then, the girls were seemingly more persistent with dragging Lincoln into their fads, although, he reasoned it was only because they didn't want him to think that they thought of him any less since his status as "the adopted one" became public knowledge. Lincoln was well aware, it was too obvious. Even though Lincoln was really appreciative of everyone, in the nights he was left battered and exhausted in his room. With ten sisters who just wouldn't leave him alone, he wished now more than ever to just be able to read comics in peace.

However, even after being left tired from the antics of the day, Lincoln's nights were unavoidably restless. Each and every night he would twist and turn under his sheets, pinching his eyelids closed, and even forcing sleep. When he would give up, he would simply stare at the cracked ceiling of the linen closet he claimed as his space, and get lost in his own thoughts. It was futile for him to pretend that he wasn't at all affected by the recent discovery of his lineage. He never had any reason to believe he was anything less than a Loud like his parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, or cousins.

Sure, it was HIS family as well, but, there was another lineage he knew nothing about, in the shadows, surrounded by doubt. A biological one still shrouded in mystery. Lincoln was afraid that he didn't really know who he was. His skin, his hair, his eyes; where did they all come from? Every night he would try to imagine his biological parents. He tried to picture the perfect man and woman, faultless, their warm, smiling faces, holding him, loving him, one happy family. But every time, these pleasant, fabricated thoughts would be swallowed by reality. This perfect couple, they didn't love him. They didn't want him. They left him to die. Why? Lincoln wasn't angry; it was difficult to hate someone he's never even met. All he felt was confused, and somehow, apologetic. This unresolved was driving him over the wall. He needed to know who they were, and why they did it.

He needed to find his parents.

Where could he begin his investigation? Was it even possible? If the police, or social services, practically nobody could find them, what chance does he have? Lincoln sat up and peered around his room in the darkness, and caught the Ace Savvy poster pinned to the wall. If anyone could solve this mystery, he could, the greatest detective in the world, and he wasn't a cop, just a normal guy with an abnormal wardrobe. That's when it hit Lincoln, to think like Ace Savvy! He shut his eyes and massaged his forehead. Ace savvy would begin with what was already known, and work on from there.

So what did Lincoln know? Very little, but he knew that he was found under a highway passage, shortly after birth, perhaps a day. Lincoln grabbed his laptop from his desk, returned to his bed, and began to search the web.

Before he knew it, the dawn had broken.

"Lincoln!"

All of a sudden, someone blasted into the bedroom with one, mighty kick, leaving an imprint of cleats on the door. Lincoln's heart almost escaped his rib cage, as he involuntarily sat up, almost flinging the laptop he had left lying on his chest against the wall at the end of his bed. He must have eventually fallen asleep. The crusts that had formed in Lincoln's eyes irritated him as he helplessly scanned the room with blurred vision, trying to identify the intruder.

"It's Saturday again! you know what that means!"

"L...Lynn? oh no..."

"That's right!" Lynn pulled a basketball from nowhere and threw it at Lincoln's face, aiding in waking him. "Shower, breakfast, and then out back in 15 minutes, little bro!" She slammed the doors behind her, vibrating the room.

Lincoln sluggishly crawled from under his sheets, and tried to remember what he was doing all night, feeling hung-over. Once he began to piece his mind together again, he sporadically turned around to face his laptop, lying face down on the opposite side of the bed. It was dead, void of power. Lincoln placed it back on his desk and plugged it in.

As per usual, the day began with a long trek to the bathroom.

"Morning brother!"

"Hey Bro!"

"Hello Lincoln, my only brother"

"G'Morning bro!"

Lincoln "cheerfully" greeted everyone as he passed them. He was nothing if not a good actor, but inside he was sighing loudly. 'Why did THIS have to become part of everyday life?' he thought. The first time everyone greeted him at dawn, energetically, always naming him as their brother, he found it silly, but in a good way. It lifted his spirits and would laugh along, contented that they obviously cared a lot for him. But now, it was just getting plain old annoying. Lincoln proceeded with his usual bathroom routine, and went downstairs to meet everyone in the kitchen.

However, the whole bottom floor was empty. Lincoln peered into the living room, and glanced up the stairs suspiciously, he couldn't hear much. But he shrugged it off and returned to the kitchen, in fact, this was the opportune time to show his appreciation for everyone and how they've been keeping him happy. One of Lincoln Loud's world famous breakfast buffet's. They always loved his cooking. Plus he was fast, considering there were 11 kids in the house all coming with very different palettes. In record time he created 11 portions of eggs, bacon, ham, sausages and toast, cooked to perfection and to the individual liking of each and every one of them. Lincoln aligned everyone's dishes on the table, took his seat, and eagerly waited.

And waited...

And waited...

Five minutes had past and Lincoln began to slouch in his seat, playing with the fork on his plate. The food would all need to be microwaved just to be salvageable. "At least Lynn should be down, we were supposed to be in the back garden by now." he thought.

Still, nobody had come down.

Furious, Lincoln pushed himself away from the table, and trudged up the stairs. "The only excuse I'd accept is if they all died or something..." Lincoln first peered into Lucy and Lynn's room since they were the closest to the stairs. It was empty. He traveled to the next room, Luan and Luna's, also empty, followed by Lori and Leni's, knocking first as per usual when it concerned his eldest sisters' dwelling. As he placed his hand on the doorknob to the twin's room, he heard muffled voices coming from his own room. He sneaked up to the door, as if his own room was restricted territory for him, and placed his ear against the wood.

"Maybe we should tell Mom and Dad."

"But that might get him in trouble! We should just handle it ourselves."

"I dunno, maybe we're overreacting, and it's probably not even that big of a deal."

"It's a pretty big deal Luna! I thought he was moving on!"

"Well all I know is if I was in Lincoln's position, I'd probably start digging around too, for closure if nothing else."

"So, what, do you think we should like, help him?"

"Okay before we all go on, Let's talk in my room instead. He could totally be coming back any-"

Lincoln heard the voice come closer, and quickly stood back as the door swung open. Lori stopped dead in her tracks, with wide, dismayed eyes, as she met with her little brother. Lincoln shifted his gaze to the rest of his sister standing behind her, wearing the same, stupid expression. Lori gave a frightened but large smile that cut like a knife.

"Hey Lincoln...! Whatcha...whatcha doing here?" Lori said, trying to play cool.

Lincoln frowned, raised an eyebrow and tilted his head like a confused puppy. "...this is my room..."

"Y-Yes it is!...we were just uhhh."Lori looked behind her for back up. "We were just..."

"Cleaning...?" he retorted sarcastically.

"Yes we were just cleaning your room!...because that's what good sisters do!" Lori sheepishly said, putting extra emphasis on the "sisters" part.

"I thought we were talking about that weird stuff Lincoln was looking up on his com-" Leni was interrupted by Luna's hand firmly sealing her lips.

Lincoln was taken aback, and changed into a disoriented scowl. "You guys are looking through my Laptop?!"

"N-No!...I mean, it didn't start out like-"

"I can't believe you guys!" Lincoln barged into his own room and angrily closed his laptop down. "Why would you even THINK to do that?!"

"Well," a small voice coming from the bespectacled genius that was Lisa Loud began, "as part of my social experiment, I investigate, download and categorize the browsing history of everyone in this house. I came in to do that, however many of the web pages in question were still open."

The web pages were of newspapers concerning abandoned children, dated the week of Lincoln's birth, academic papers on parents who abandon their children, and an obvious Google search of the question "How do I find my Biological Parents?".

Lori spoke up "Wait... you check EVERYONE'S browsing history?!"

"You couldn't...There are so many disgraceful things I've looked up!" Luan exclaimed.

"Well yes, but that's beside the point. Once I noticed the following pages, I informed Lori, as per her instructions to notify her if Lincoln quote, "Does anything like, weird", end quote."

"But anyways, why are you looking for...them?" Lori interjected, turning the attention back to Lincoln.

"Ugh! Because it's driving me insane! Before all of this, I had no reason to think that I was any different to you guys! But now I...I feel like I don't even know who I am...maybe they...can help." The room fell silent. It took a moment for everyone to register what Lincoln was saying. "Plus...I...I just want to know...why..."

"...Lincoln..."

"Perhaps I can be of assistance."

Lincoln looked down at Lisa who approached in her usual inquisitive demeanor.

"How-OW!"

Without warning, Lisa jumped and pulled a hair from Lincolns head. Calmly, she formally walked out of his room and into her own. Everyone walked out and followed her, intrigued by what she had in store.

As they all crowded inside, Lisa pulled open her wardrobe to reveal not clothes, but even more bizarre machinery, stretching the entire contents of the drawer, and a massive glass chamber on top. Something no ordinary four year old would be responsible for. Lisa took the strand of white hair and dropped it into a test tube containing a strange, green colored liquid, then turned her focus to the keyboard and monitor in the center. The machine roared like a monster.

"Lisa, what is that?" Lori asked, perplexed.

"To put it simply, it's an RNA splicing station I occasionally use to combine the genetic material of certain animals which the end product gestates in the VAT chamber above."

"O-kay...and is that supposed to help me, in some...terrifying way?" a startled Lincoln questioned.

"Well I won't be doing any actual cloning, but simply downloading Lincoln's genetic make-up which I will then use to search for any genetic links in the police data base of the state Lincoln was abandoned in, which we now know since you searched it last night."

"Wait, could that really work?!" Lincoln had to restrain himself from bouncing in delight.

"Well, it might only work if a blood relative of yours is registered in a criminal database-." Lisa was interrupted by a loud positive ding. "Oh."

"What does that mean?"

"It means a blood relative of yours is registered in a criminal database. Duh."

"What?! Let me see!" Lincoln ran over to the machine and shoved Lisa away from the monitor. The contents of the screen provided the information of a young woman, no picture, although it described her appearance in words. Soon everyone else had sprinted up behind, beside, above and below Lincoln, fighting for a space to view the computer.

"I can't see! Someone read it out!" Lana shouted.

Lincoln studied the letters on the screen and began to sheepishly mouth it out aloud.

"Lyla Lawliss, age 24, hair blond (dyed, naturally white) eyes grey. Existing Record: drunk driving, driving without license (underage), assault, and check fraud. Other charges dropped."

Lincoln kept his eyes glued to the monitor as he read it out. Everyone else shared concerned looks among each other.

Luan broke the silence. "Oh hey look, her name's also a double L."

"So is that like, Lincoln's...other Mom?" Lynn asked.

Lincoln was perplexed, and disappointment echoed in his voice. "N-No that...can't be my Mom..."

"Why not?"

"It's just not possible right? I mean, I was born 11 years ago, that would make this woman...thirteen at the time. So there's no way she could be my Mom, right?" Lincoln turned around and spotted 10 the confused faces of half of his sisters, and the distraught expressions of the other half. "...Right...?"

"Well, according to your DNA structure, you share 53% of her genetic code. That percentile can only exist between mother and child."

Lincoln was overwhelmed with mixed emotions of confusion, worry, but also a little excitement. This is the closest he's gotten to the truth so far.

"Huh, guess you were a teen pregnancy. Sorry bro" Luna remarked, and gave Lincoln a pat on the back so hard it stung. Luna's comment made Lori shoot her an exasperated glare.

Suddenly, Lincoln grew troubled with guilt. She was so young, just as old as Lynn! It wasn't right, Lincoln thought. He shouldn't have existed. Perhaps it was time he stopped looking for answers, if they would only make him feel worse. Maybe it was not such a good idea to go looking for them. But even if the truth will hurt, he had to know the full story.

"You okay Lincoln?" Lynn asked, placing her hand on his shoulder.

Lincoln took a deep breath "Okay, so...do you think I can find her?"

"Sorry Lincoln," the little genius started, "but this is all I can do. Her last known offense was over seven years ago, and her current address isn't listed."

"Found her."

Everyone shot their eyes on a bored looking Lori, staring halfheartedly at her phone. She looked up and glanced at everyone in the room, faces eagerly begging her for answers.

"She's on Facebook."

"What?!" they cried in unison.

"Yeah, Lyla Lawliss, 24, Works in a diner, currently doing a Law degree, naturally." Lori rolled her eyes. "She...I guess, she kinda...looks like you..."

"Oooh let me see!" Leni grabbed onto her from behind to take a gander at the phone.

"Me too!"

Everyone began to encompass Lori and the tiny screen in her left hand. Everyone except Lincoln, that is.

"Whoa she actually does!"

"She's actually really pretty!" The compliments continued to fill the room, leaving the only quiet space reserved for the little brother.

"Well, what'd you think, Lincoln?" started the eldest Loud, but no answer came back. "...Linc?"

Lincoln kept his eyes to the ground, his hands clasped tightly with fingers locking fast. This was all happening so fast, and after what he'd been though, how digging for more answers just revealed more painful mysteries, was it really a good idea to look? Lori, sensing his doubt, got on one knee and held out her hand, with the phone in her grasp, screen faced down. Lincoln nervously took the phone. He closed his eyes, and turned the phone over.

When he opened them again, he was met with the face of a beautiful young woman, sporting a natural laugh. Long straight hair resting over her shoulder, blonde like Leni's but with white roots stealthily showing. She looked like a happy-go-lucky girl in the prime of her life. She certainly didn't look like a criminal.

He wanted to meet her.

"You guys, think I look like her?" Everyone answered with a silent, gleeful nod.

Lincoln looked back at the screen, tracing his finger around her face. He glanced back up with a solemn feature, his mouth a thin, straight line.

"I need to see her."

"Whoa okay let's just chill for a moment," replied Lori. "I don't think that's the best idea."

"Why not?!" Lincoln hastily answered back.

"How are you supposed to approach her?"

"I...I don't know...Just...I'll think of something while-"

"Lincoln trust me, I know how you must feel, but, she left you, remember?"

Her words stung more so. "I know that! But I...I just have to!" Lincoln pressed Lori's phone up against his beating chest. "She looks...exactly how I imagined her. Maybe if I just...talked to her...I want to know...what happened."

Lori knelt down in front of him, and rested her hand on his shoulder. "What if...when you hear the truth, you don't like it? Confronting her could only make you feel worse."

"...There's no worse feeling than not knowing."

"But you didn't know you were adopted before and you felt great!" Leni cheerfully exclaimed.

"Well...yeah but...that was even before-"

"Lincoln...I need you to do something for me." Lincoln looked directly into Lori's eyes, perplexed as to her sudden command. "I need you to look at her picture, look at every detail of her face, her shining long hair, her friendly, compassionate eyes, her beautiful, smile, take note of everything."

Lincoln did as he was told, and scanned every inch of the woman's portrait, burning it into his memory. Everything about her was perfect; he couldn't help but bite his lip anxiously.

"This is the face, of the woman, who left you to die." Lori's face was cold and stern, accentuated by her emphasis on the "left you to die" part, but her eyes were full of remorse, and her voice began to waver her resolve. "The moment you were born, she left you alone, naked, and helpless. A newborn baby. She abandoned you one cold night, and never came back."

Tears began to drift down Lincoln's cheeks, although he tried with all his might to maintain is composure. Lori's eyes began to water too, she hated the way she was making her little brother feel, regretting every word she spoke. But it was the truth, and he needed to be reminded.

"Do you still want to meet her?"

Lincoln repeated Lori's question in his mind word for word. It stung hard but he wiped his eyes and nose in his sleeve, before finally answering with a vigorous nod.

"Yes."

Lori nodded back reassuringly and cleared her throat. "Well, I want to meet her too."

Lincoln's face glowed with delight. "You mean you'll let me go?!"

"Uh, think for a second twerp, that diner she works in is literally miles away, probably three hours by car, were YOU planning to drive there?"

"Well...no...I was thinking about taking a bus or two..."

"Pfft screw that, we're taking Vanzilla."

"Hang on, if you guys are going then I'm in too!" Luna pushed the crowd away, making for a more dramatic appearance.

"Oh yeah, road trip!" Lana punched the air in excitement.

"You're taking us all with you Lincoln, whether you like it or not." Lola crossed her arms defiantly.

Lincoln's tears vanished as his sisters began to agree with the notion. He felt elated and a little stupid for ever thinking that he was alone in this.

"Thanks guys..."

"We'd better get a move on, hopefully she's working today. Let's go eat before we hit the road"

"Oh that's right! I made you all breakfast this morning! All of your favorites!"

Downstairs, they sat around the table, eyeing their stone cold meals, slightly discontented. Lincoln traced the room. "They would have been warm, had you all been here on time instead of conspiring...in my own room..."

As they were travelling on the road the sounds of usual mayhem could be heard in the passenger seats. Lincoln and Lori sat in the front. For most of the trip they were quiet. Lori only broke the silence once.

"Still sure about this? This is a...pretty big deal you know"

"I'm sure."

The journey took a little over two and a half hours. By the time they reached their destination, they had barely made it in time for lunch. Lana was the first to enter the diner, rushing past servers and customers for the bathroom. Everyone else followed pursuit, standing in line for a table.

"Table for eleven, please!" Leni told the waitress giddily.

"Ummmm we have a corner booth that can sit eight people at most-"

"We'll take it." Lori said, not letting the serving girl finish. "Oh, and a booster seat for the baby"

Everyone took their seats in the cramped booth, shoulder to shoulder. The restaurants was styled in a 50s fashion, clean, well lit, complete with a jukebox full of classic hits and waitresses wearing flared skirts.

"Finally! I'm starving!" admitted Lynn, hoping onto the booth seat.

Almost everyone grabbed a menu and dug their faces into the pages, hunting for their next proper meal.

"Tell me about it, I haven't eaten since yesterday!" spoke Luna.

"It took rigorous discipline and work to maintain this perfect figure, and I can't let my weight drop ONE POUND!" said Lola, afterwards she turned her volume down and muttered, "Dang pageant judges and their minimum body weight rules..."

Lori frowned; the fatigue of the drive had nearly made everyone forget the reason they came here in the first place. Everyone, except for her.

"Okay everyone, just remember to keep an eye out for her. She might be here today." Lori shifted her eyes across the room, squinting.

"Who, Lana? We already know where she is, she's in the girls room" replied Leni.

"No you idiot! Lincoln's...!" Lori bent her head down, suddenly realizing her current volume. "Lincoln's mother" she whispered.

Everyone came back to their senses, "Oh yeah..."

Lincoln sat in between Lori and Leni, looking defenselessly small compared to his adult sized teenage sisters. The diner menu was firm in his grasp as he hid his face behind the laminated pages, only showing his eyes, jumping from one corner to the next. Everyone else went back to making decisions on their meals, chatting amongst themselves. It didn't bother Lincoln or Lori though as it made them not stand out as much. One of the waitresses came down, a busty young lady with shoulder long, sandy brown waves and blue eyes.

"Are we all ready to order?"

Lana jumped ahead of the crowd. "Yeah yeah yeah! I'll have the-"

"No we're not ready yet sorry, we'll take a few more minutes if you don't mind."

"What? But Lori we're-"

"Actually I'll just call someone down when we're all ready to order. No need to keep checking up on us." Lori gave the waitress a pleasant grin.

"Okay, I'll leave it to you then." The waitress politely smiled back and walked off to service other clientele.

Lola stood up on her seat, squished in between Lana and Luan.

"What did you do that for?!" she screamed.

"Be quiet! I want that woman to service us."

"Who?"

"LINCOLN'S-!" Lori almost lost herself again. Some of the patrons and staff of the diner looked towards their table, making her voice go lower once more. "...mother" she whispered.

"Jeez Lori, you're even more agitated than Lincoln."

They were right, Lori did seem more fidgety, even more than Lincoln, red hot and flustered. Lori slouched back into her seat, she was sweating something fierce. "*sigh* I know, I'm sorry for snapping at you all, the long drive just had me on edge. I've never driven this far for so long. Just don't forget, we came here not just to eat, but to be there for Lincoln if he needs us." Lori scanned the diner for any sign of their intended target, but after some time quietly resigned. "I don't even think she's working today but regardless, we're here to help our brother."

Everyone in the booth seemed to droop slightly in shame.

"You're right, we're sorry Lincoln."

"Yeah sorry Bro"

Lincoln, however, didn't hear them.

"Yo Lincoln!... you there?"

Lincoln wasn't entirely aware of his sisters' calls. He sat, wide eyed, his jaw marginally dangling from his skull, the menu almost slipping from his hands. He was frozen, like a statue, peering into the distance. The girls looked at his pale face, and searched for what his eyes were fixated upon. They quickly found it.

Across the room, there stood a young woman, holding a tray of burgers, fries and cold drinks, which she placed in a booth only meters away. She had grey, almost white eyes, and long pale blond hair, in a ponytail, resting over her shoulder. She irradiated the room with a benevolent smile and an aura that whispered "Welcome". She hadn't changed much since that picture was taken. The booth went silent as a grave. They all watched her with a certain fascination. Yet Lori's expression of awe soon slowly devolved into one of cynicism, and distrust. She raised her arm to grab the woman's attention.

"Excuse me miss! We're ready to order."

The waitress responded to Lori's call, and gracefully walked to the booth, with pen and paper in hand. Her name tag read "Lyla". As she came closer and closer, Lincoln felt a rush of fear sweep over him. He rapidly picked up the menu again and hid his entire body behind it. The waitress entered the scene with a gentle laugh.

"Wow some party today, wouldn't you lot be more comfortable in two booths?"

There was an obvious silence from everyone, noted the young waitress, but still she smiled at them, although feeling somewhat awkward. It was Luan who took the first brave step and responded to her comment.

"No way, then we'd have to wait even longer for two booths to free up, and side by side of course."

"Plus, family should always stick together." Lori added. A hint of bitterness was subtle in her tone. "Always."

"Can't argue with that!" she said merrily. "Alright then, so what can I get you girls?"

Lana once again jumped from her seat. "Me first! I'll have the double bacon cheeseburger with chicken nuggets and fries!"

"Hey that's what I was gonna order!" complained Lynn, before ordering the same.

"Hotdog meal for me." Luan ordered

"Me too, but without the ketchup" Luna replied.

"Aww, but without the red stuff, how can you RELISH the joy of a good dog? Hahaha, get it?" The usual defeated groans and non-committal laughs came from the rest of the booth. A small giggle escaped the waitress's lips.

"I'll have the Caesar salad with dressing on the side." Lola said gracefully.

"The salad comes in a dress?!" Leni excitedly replied. "I'll take that too!"

"I want the chicken tenders, burnt to a crisp. No garlic mayo" spoke the goth girl at the end of the booth, once again feeling ignored. To some of the siblings, her order was quite vampiric; dark and void of the earthy herb/repellent.

"I'll take whatever you have that won't raise my cholesterol to a dangerous level in one sitting" said Lisa flatly. Some would have called her out on specifics, but others giggled at the idea of that being her way of saying "surprise me".

The waitress took each and every order down, adding friendly commentary with each decision. "And what would you like ma'am?"

Lori glanced at their server, her mouth a straight, emotionless line. "Chicken wings. We have a jar of baby food for the infant."

Lyla nodded and jotted the order down. Afterwards, she then began to repeat everyone's order to make sure it was all correct.

"Wait!" Leni spoke up, "Lincoln hasn't ordered yet!"

Behind the upstanding menu, Lincoln made a faint squeak, but he made no movements. The waitress looked up and over to see a head of neat, white hair, and smiled gently.

"Oh how could I not notice the strapping young man at the table? Now tell me dear, what would you like to order?"

Lincoln at a painfully slow pace lowered the menu just below his eyes, shyly staring at the lady. He made a faint muffle as if trying to say something. The waitress bent down a little to meet his gaze. "Don't worry Lincoln, I don't bite."

Lincoln blushed profusely, but his cheeks were still well hidden behind the pages. He made another faint muffle.

"What was that love? Didn't quite make that out" she playfully put her hand behind her ear. "You know, I bet I could hear you better, if you were to lower your menu a bit."

Everyone looked back and forth between Lincoln and his alleged mother tensely. After some immense thought, Lincoln complied at her request and slowly put the menu flat on the table, wedged his arms underneath, on his lap, but lowered his eyes, afraid.

Lyla caught a glimpse of his face before her stared down at the table. "I knew there was a handsome devil hiding there." Her comments damaged his resolve and his faced turned scarlet.

"So, what will you have Lincoln?"

Lori took Lincoln's hand under the table, in an attempt to help him relax. Lincoln looked up at the woman again, flushed and warm. Although he hid forever in that menu, it never dawned on him to actually read it. He tried to remember what his sisters ordered, and made a decision.

"I-I'll...have the...chicken wings...too." he finally responded, with each word he spoke, quieter than the last. He made a small, nervous grin at the waitress.

"Alrighty then!" she noted the final order. "Stay put and I'll have everyone's food out in a heartbeat," she continued, jotting down the last few notes of the siblings' orders. Lincoln released the air from his lungs and slouched back with relief. The woman smiled again and winked at Lincoln, still blushing. As she took a step back to leave the table, she paused, turned around and looked at Lincoln once more, feeling a sense of familiarity arise.

"You know, I think I've seen you before, you guys local?"

"Oh no, we're from...out of town, we're all just on a road trip." Lori started.

"Ah! So is that your van in the parking lot?" Lyla asked pointing her pencil towards the space with the unbelievably retro-looking van. "Can't imagine the eleven of you hold up in there for hours"

"Heh, yeah, we call her 'Vanzilla'."

"It suits her well" she laughed. "Perfect weather for a drive I guess, you guys all friends or-"

"Siblings" Lori abruptly interrupted.

The waitress whistled "Wow, that's crazy! Well, you lot do look inseparable." She looked at Lincoln again. "Still, I swear I've seen you before."

"You did, once..." Lori said under her breath, sharply.

"Sorry?" She did not seem to hear her.

"I-I..." Lincoln tried to say something, but his voice went missing momentarily.

"Oh I know! You last saw hi-" Lori reached over Lincoln and slapped Leni's face, sealing her lips shut with her palm before she could reveal any sensitive information. The waitress tilted her head at the notion, to which Lori nervously chuckled.

"I just remembered! Our uhh, Aunt lives up here...Shirley! Been a while since we last saw her" she emphasized the 'last saw' part. "Yeah, and we come to visit sometimes, so maybe you've seen us here before but don't remember. That must be it..." Lori was emphasizing her words at certain intervals, hoping to jog something in the waitress's memory, if not to help then to guilt.

Lyla stood back a bit, surprised, but somewhat amused. "O-kay then, I'll get your meals to you ASAP. Sit tight everyone, especially you, little guy." She reached over and petted Lincoln's hair reflexively, causing him to let out a sudden gasp but did not revoke the strange sensation. It was the first time in years since she touched him, he thought. Finally, she walked off, as bubbly as ever.

"That was a lot more awkward than I'd imagined" Luan swiftly said.

"She...touched me..." Lincoln said to himself with a hint of joviality.

"Yeah...she did..." responded Lori in a low tone. There was another long pause, only the noise of the other customers to drown out their silence.

"I like her!" Lana said out loud.

"Me too! She's really nice and pretty" Lola joined in with her twin's assumption.

"I thought she was good for a laugh!" noted Luan, still thinking on her hotdog joke.

Lincoln, however, was in a daze, repeating the moment over and over in his mind. Everyone around the table had something nice to say about her. They chatted happily about her for a while. He felt conflicted but strangely at ease reminiscing about how she ruffled his hair. He had experienced that before with his sisters, and his frustration with it often times, but when she did it, he still couldn't make heads or tails of how to process it. Was it good? Was it bad? Soon he lost himself in that thoughtless moment.

But Lori had enough of it. She slammed her hands on the table and stood up fiercely.

"How can you all go on like that?!" The sudden outburst knocked everyone back to reality, "like she's some goddamned angel?!" Thankfully, the outside noises of the diner were still active, and Lyla was not within earshot.

"L-Lori, we're just saying that...she doesn't seem all that bad" reasoned Luna.

"L-Lori?" Lincoln watched her gingerly and cautiously, minding what to say to calm his eldest sister for fear of inciting more of her wrath.

"She a monster is what she is!" Lori sat back down in protest to everyone's complacency.

"Umm...Lori, why are YOU getting all upset?" cited Lynn.

"Aren't you taking this a bit too personal now?" chimed in Luna.

Lori's hands closed into intimidating fists. "I just can't stand people like her. Sure, she's all sunshine and rainbows now, but deep down, something's up with her..." She glared at the rest of her siblings. "Or have you completely forgotten what she did to Lincoln?" Lori had a talent for shaming her younger siblings, but this time it stung deep.

"She...could have had a reason-"

"Oh right, a reason to leave a baby to die. When you think of one, let me know." Lori's entire body trembled with rage. "I'm telling you guys, she's not what you think she is!"

To Lori, it was one thing to "harm" Lincoln as he was now, a pre-teen boy with a hectic family life. Even when she or her sisters did it, to them it was either play or bonding gone a bit overboard; but to abandon him as a newborn? Lori only heard stories of teens leaving newborns everywhere; a dumpster in an alleyway, on the stoop of a city orphanage, in the toilet during prom, to her it was still despicable, to have washed one's hands of an innocent and defenseless life, but at least it wasn't someone she knew or cared to know about and/or mostly just over-dramatization played for a viewer's attention, or as Lisa would put it, "preposterous Hollywood schlock". But this wasn't the case, and unlike her sisters, she wasn't going to let this slide. He was their "sibling". Lincoln was her "brother". To imagine that night, that same experience happening to a member of her family, not even a call from her "boo-boo bear" would bring her around. The fury was growing within so much that she almost expelled a small amount of heat to anyone who was close by.

While they were all distracted by Lori's rant, Lyla soon reappeared with four plates of food across her arms. Lori, seeing her approach first, preempted her arrival by excusing herself and moved to the end of the table, within an arm's length of the unsuspecting waitress.

"Here we are! So which of you ordered the-"

It was over in an instant. Before she could finish, she was welcomed with a fast and powerful fist to her nose, knocking her backwards, and soon, stumbling regrettably, hitting her head on the diner's hard floor. Indignant, Lori struck out against her "enemy". No other sibling could've predicted that the eldest would go so far. Neither could have Lincoln, even though he was the reason why she did it. The plates crashed hard against the floor beside the now unconscious waitress. With the sound of shattering dishes, Lori rapidly came back to her senses, and grasped her extended arm, withdrawing it. Hastily, she scanned the aftermath of her actions, letting out a hushed 'oh crap' from her slightly ajar mouth.

Lola stood up and broke the silence with a shriek. "...MY FOOD!"

Events soon after played out like a blur as each sibling came out to do damage control, leaving Lori standing frozen in place. Once Lincoln called for help, the staff went to Lyla's side and rang for an ambulance. She had been knocked out cold, with a steady flow of blood running down from both nostrils, and across her cheeks. One eye wasn't closed fully, but her consciousness was far from aware. Luckily none of the other patrons or staff saw the actual cause of the waitresses' current condition, despite all the evidence of the eldest Loud's rage and scuffle.

Lincoln had the bright notion to explain that as she was walking down but when Lyla turned to him and his sisters, she slipped and hit the dead center of her face against the table's edge. Lori was safe from retribution, from the law at least. Once the ambulance arrived she was quickly but carefully placed on the stretcher and out the door. Despite the incident, business had to continue.

The Louds hastily ran back to Vanzilla to follow the ambulance, in dead silence.

The hospital was not far off. The van had thankfully arrived within three minutes, in time with the ambulance. The siblings watched from the car windows as paramedics wheeled Lyla inside, before they themselves pursued. Naturally, Lori led the chase. Everyone crowded around the stretcher, barely giving any room for the medics transporting her, and unloading dismayed questions at them.

"It just looks like a concussion at the moment but please give us time to properly diagnose her?" one paramedic said, trying to divert the huge sibling crowd. "Are you family?"

"Yes! She's our...sister." Lori responded stiffly, not trying to act more concerned about the woman she just punch.

"Okay, if you can be patient, please stay in the reception area and we'll inform you of her condition as soon as possible." With that, the let the paramedics pass into sterile blue swinging doors. Many minutes had passed as the majority of the siblings waited while Lori was pacing back and forth in sullenness.

Sometime later, Lynn spoke up. "Okay Lori. What. The. Hell."

"I...I don't know" she replied in confusion.

"It was a nice punch but, seriously, what the hell?"

"It was...just an accident! Okay?!" Lori couldn't hide her guilt for much longer.

"It looked more like you did it on purpose" Leni added; for once, her powers of observation were fairly accurate.

"Shut up, Leni! I'm trying to think." Lori began to contemplate on what sort of consequences she would have to face to make up for her actions.

"You know, if Lincoln hadn't lied, you could have gotten into a lot of trouble." Luna said in an almost motherly fashion.

"*sigh* I know I know. I'm...I'm sorry Linc."

Lincoln didn't respond. Leaning against a wall, he kept his eyes to the ground seemingly lost in his own thoughts. His face was certainly grim, and his mental state was still in shatters.

Lori looked at him, whatever guilt she was already feeling had come at her tenfold once she saw his bleak expression. "Look guys...I don't know what to say, I just...lost it..."

"I'm still hungry..." voiced Lana, sad that she couldn't even get a crack at her burger, nuggets, or fries.

"Maybe there's a canteen around?" Luan spoke.

"Great...hospital food..." complained Lola.

Luna grabbed the twins in each hand. "Well while we're waiting we might as well eat..."

"You guys go ahead, I'm gonna stay behind" Lori said, as she gazed at the doors where she left Lyla.

"Suit yourself...Lincoln?"

Lincoln put his thoughts aside for a moment to answer Luna, he smiled, sadly.

"I'm fine, I'll be here"

"...okay man." Luna sensed Lincoln's sadness, but could not do much to help reassure him at this point. "C'mon guys, let's see what the cafeteria's got..." With that, the majority of the siblings departed for the Mess Hall.

The two remaining Louds waited behind, not a peep was made out of either one. Lori could barely look at him without feeling the guilt coming back. He must've hated her for what she did to Lyla. She wished she could read her brother's mind since he was so disturbingly quiet. Then again, perhaps it was best that she couldn't read minds, afraid of what she might discover. Instead, she stared at those blue sliding doors, anxiously waiting for someone to return. They had waited so long that the other girls were able to feed and return without much haste.

"Still no word?"

Lori shook her head.

Not long after they reunited, someone did return: a doctor.

"How is she?! Is she going to be okay?!" Lori spoke in a rushed manner.

The doctor was startled. "Umm, who are you waiting for?"

"Lyla Lawliss!" The slight annoyance was getting at Lori again.

"Oh! Well, you can relax. Ms. Lawliss suffered a mild concussion, a broken nose, and some minor bruising." The small bit of news was not too comforting. "She came around for a minute but lost consciousness again." Yeah, definitely not comforting at all.

"But will she be okay?!" Lori felt like she was at the end of her rope in remorse.

"Short answer: yes." Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. "We treated her wounds, gave her some anesthetic, and she stabilized not too long after. Currently she's resting in a room down the corridor."

"Can we go see her?" Lori pressed on.

"All of you? Absolutely not. I'll allow two visitors max, but you won't find her very talkative I'm afraid to say. Her body is trying to rest."

The siblings began to deliberate. "Okay so, who goes?" Luan asked.

"Well, Lincoln, of course" Lori replied "...and I think I should go...apologize."

Although a few of the younger Louds bemoaned the lost chance to see the carnage, they all nodded in agreement.

"Okay, then follow me" the doctor concluded, guiding both Lori and Lincoln beyond the double-doors.

They were soon led into the large bright ward with six separate rooms. However, only one of them was occupied at the far end of the hospital wing, on the left; entering the room, they noticed a long bed beside a large window that stretched the entire side wall. Lyla was resting there peacefully, a large bandage was wrapped around her crown, with most of her pale locks draping beneath, and a cast had been placed over her nose. It was a much better improvement from the bloodied mess she was in earlier. Lori knelt beside her to get a better look at her work, while Lincoln stayed at the end of the bed, observing his peacefully resting "mother", eyes closed in a good sleep.

"...Well...It could have been worse" Lori said, faking a smile, trying to defuse the tension building up. Lincoln didn't respond one bit, and was just looking at Lyla's face. Lori's grin evaporated and she began again. "Look, I'm...I'm really sorry Linc. I screwed up. I know this wasn't how you imagined your…reunion." She spoke submissively, not looking directly into his eyes. "I don't know what came over me...I just...I'm sorry..."

"...I think you're right..." Lincoln admitted after some thought.

Lori lifted her head. "Huh?"

"For a while now, all I could think about was meeting her. I wanted to talk to her, to feel her. I...wanted her to be like...a mom." He spoke from his heart."I know I have a Mom and Dad already but...*sigh* I don't know...I guess I wanted so hard to believe that I would find a family in her." Lori tried to reply, but Lincoln continued. "To know that...I came from something good. But now that I'm looking at her...It's just so weird. She looked like she was doing fine now...without me in her life..." Lincoln paused, pondering about his dashed expectations. "She didn't even recognize me at all, in the end...so...maybe...I think it was a mistake to come here. If she didn't want me then, I don't think she'll want me now..."

"Lincoln..."

"But it's okay, I suppose." Lincoln looked into Lori's eyes, content, with a tender smile. "Because I don't need her, as she doesn't need me to ruin her promising life now... I still have Mom and Dad, and you ten sisters. And I only just realized now, how lucky I am to have you all." His voice became a bit more uplifting than before. "I have a huge, wild and crazy family, and I wouldn't trade it for the world."

He managed to make Lori shed a tear in pride. He was indeed more resilient and kind than any guy she's ever known. She soon couldn't hold back a flattered smile.

Lincoln looked back at the woman on the bed, her body shifting in the bed unconsciously. "I guess I have her to thank for that..."

Lori walked over to her brother, knelt down, and embraced him. Lincoln was right. He wouldn't trade his life for anything in the world, and deep down neither would Lori. Behind the two siblings came a rustling sound.

"Let's go home" he said mutedly, not wanting to rouse the sleeping waitress more than they did with their heartfelt talk.

"Are you sure?" Lori asked, pondering if he was right to leave before she could say sorry to the girl she knocked out. But after some thought, she realized the last thing a girl or anyone in a hospital should see is their assaulter.

"I'm sure." Lincoln laughed a little. "I don't know what I was thinking, haha. I mean what was I supposed to say? 'Oh hi! Remember me? I'm your son that you abandoned 11 years ago as a baby!'" he said, sarcastically.

Suddenly, an audible gasp reached their ears.

The siblings turned around to see the woman, sitting up straight, wide eyed, with both hands firmly covering her mouth. Lincoln was suddenly paralyzed with fear.

'It's over, she must've heard everything!' he thought. He didn't want things to end up like this. It wasn't supposed to be like this. Unbeknownst to the two, Lyla woke up around the time they were about to leave.

"Y-You..." Lyla exhaled. Her face turned a sickly white when she examined Lincoln again.

"...I-I..." What was he supposed to say at this point? His eyes shifted back and forth, searching for an answer, but none came. The tension rose once more until he couldn't take it. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be here..." He spun around and began to take a step out of the room, to escape the potential embarrassment. Lori glanced at the two of them, and then proceeded to follow her brother.

"N-No...Wait!" Lyla softly shouted to the two siblings.

Lincoln stopped in his tracks, but did not dare turn around. Not that he had any time to do so, as before he knew it, and in an almost swift motion, Lyla had shambled out of bed, rushed up behind Lincoln, knelt and embraced him tightly from behind. "It's you…" She began to whimper, given that in all her life she never thought this chance would come. "You're okay...thank God you're okay..." She could not hold back the tears as she repeated words of joy to him, and began to sob softly.

Lincoln had no way to respond to that. "..I...I'm..."

She loosened her grip of Lincoln just slightly, enough for her to turn him around to face her. She placed both her hands on his cheeks, caressing them softly, examining his grown features. She let him see her for who she was; bruised, sobbing, yet glad that he was there. She embraced him tightly again, pulling him to her chest. Lincoln's arms dangled uselessly, distressed by the sudden turn of events.

"I'm sorry...I'm so sorry" she chanted over and over.

Lincoln gave Lori a look, trying to call her for assistance, but she misinterpreted the signal.

"I'll...just be outside..." Lori slowly exited the ward, but never took her eyes off them, and kept observing from the glass panel in the door.

"Forgive me...I couldn't recognize you..." Lyla continued, "but now, I see..."

At this point, Lincoln felt obliged to calm her down. Gradually, he lifted his arms and placed them on her back, his fingertips resting on her shoulders, softly gripping her hospital gown. After her sobs died a bit, though still shaking, Lincoln let his pretense fall away and soon he whispered the one word he wanted to say ever since he met her: "Mom?"

She responded with a sorrowful, tear infested giggle. Being called "Mom" somewhat raised her spirits high above the clouds. "I...I thought I'd never see you again… I'm so sorry, I was such an idiot." When she finally let go of him, Lincoln took a step back, contemplating if he should've just fled before, but after her reply, he pushed the thought out of his mind. Lyla, now seeing Lincoln in full, had a good look at her "son". "I knew you looked familiar...you look exactly like my brother when he was your age." Lincoln was caught off guard with that comment and thought, 'wait, brother?' "Minus the hair color though...Guess you take after me then." she said casually, like talking to a friend, but her face was red and puffy still.

Lincoln didn't know what to say for that, but for the moment, he wanted to keep her at arm's length, still feeling some trepidation. He extended his right hand out as a welcoming gesture.

"Hello, I'm...Lincoln."

She winced at his formality, but shook his hand.

"I'm Lyla..." she started in reply, "and I guess I've got some explaining to do..." Lyla dried her eyes as best as she could. "I...have really no idea where to begin..."

Lincoln looked at her hesitantly but before he could answer, she continued talking.

"Why don't you tell me a bit about yourself?" Admittedly she was avoiding her inevitable sob story, but Lincoln nodded in agreement.

"Well...I'm eleven years old, and I live in a suburban home with my Mom, Dad, and ten sisters, There's Lori, the oldest, she's seventeen, oh...and she's sorry about..that" He pointed to her nose. "Then there's Leni..."

Lincoln went on and on about his friends, his hobbies and school, but mostly about his sisters, and how crazy and stressful they made his life. But the recollection made it sound like wonderful times to Lyla. Plenty of time had passed between his "story" that they had moved back to sitting back on the bed, facing each other. Lyla just listened as she let her "son" gab about his upbringing until she was caught up to speed about his life. Eleven years of strange and wondrous tales any person would have love to experience just once.

"Well...that's...who I am, I suppose."

"I'm so happy for you, truly I am" she spoke, placing her left hand onto his right. The affection didn't bother Lincoln that much anymore, but still he retained his nervousness.

"So...what about you...what's your story?" It was Lincoln's turn to learn about his other maternal half.

"My story?" She spoke submissively, initially afraid to answer. With a defeated sigh, she braved the potential grief. "You're...probably going to be disappointed..." she started. "I…don't really like talking about myself, or my past." Lincoln sat still, patiently waiting for Lyla to remember her courage and continue.

"I...Never really had a family. Not like yours at least. I had a father, and a twin brother." Momentarily, she combed her memories of her past. "Our mom died while giving birth, and I don't think my dad had ever forgiven us. He never acted like a real "dad"...He would often call us not by our regular names, and sometimes he'd beat us when we were bad, sometimes even when we were doing nothing. He was a heavy drinker, you see."

Lincoln's nervousness grew as he listened. He realized that this scary man that she was talking about was his biological grandfather. Not even Pop-pop was like that, so far as he knew. 'How could a father do that to his kids' he blankly thought to himself as Lyla continued.

"One day, he made my brother, Logan, go out and bring him back some booze. He...we were only about 12, so he couldn't buy any legally, but he was afraid to come back empty handed...So he stole some...and got caught. The police brought him home, and gave dad a warning. When the police left, Dad was so humiliated, I'd never seen him so angry."

Lyla stayed silent for what felt like forever, braving her recollection of that awful time in her life, her gaze turned downward. Lincoln was too afraid to ask her to continue, too afraid to look directly at her, but instinctively he inched his way towards her, urging himself to hang onto her words. He could hear the pain and fear in her voice.

"He killed Logan."

Lincoln let out a weak gasp. He felt the chill in his spine and heart.

"Right in front of me, he killed my only brother." She winced when she remembered the night it happened; bloodstains, screaming, hard pounding, menacing footsteps, everything seemed vivid now than they were when it happened. "I...thought he was going to kill me too. So I ran, and never came back...I ran away from everything."

Lincoln shivered. He didn't often hear about children dying at the hands of family members. It's easy to forget about things like that when your own life has been so blessed. And this kid, his would've-been uncle, he looked like him as she said.

Lyla took a breath and continued, raising her head just a bit but still avoiding direct eye contact. "After that, I made my life out on the streets, surviving any way I could, mostly through stealing and mugging...and I kinda got involved with a bad crowd. They were other bad people with nothing to lose, some young adults...some young teens your age." Lyla instinctively reached out and grasped Lincoln's hand; his own instincts told him to return the favor, and clenched hers in support.

"It's dangerous, living a life like that. You couldn't trust anyone, not even the people you associated with." Her mind flashed back to a particular moment again. "And one day...I was attacked..."

Lincoln suddenly felt a deathly chill in her voice when she said 'attacked'.

"I didn't know who they were...or maybe I had...I...don't really remember much about it. I just tried to forget it. But it is hard to do so when you couldn't fight back...and a few weeks later...I found out I was...pregnant."

For a few seconds, Lincoln didn't understand, until he realized what she meant by "attacked". He knew what this made him, and he was overcome with sorrow, and shame. He bit hard on his lip to keep his tears at bay, but they were already leaking down his cheeks. 'No wonder she abandoned me', he morbidly thought to himself.

"I didn't know what to do, I was...still just a kid myself...I was just...really scared. I had a hard time trusting people and I...was usually alone."

Lincoln somewhat understood. He had only made life worse for her, and he hated himself for it. "I'm...sorry..."

"No!" Lyla blurted out. She placed her free hand onto the one she gripped, her gaze directly on him now. "You have nothing to apologize for. You...you never did anything wrong. Don't you dare blame yourself!" She spoke like a cross, but loving mother. "I'm the one who should be sorry, I...when you were born...I did something horrible. I...couldn't look at you, couldn't bear to hold you. I was so full of...disgust. Disgusted with life, with myself, and sadly with you. So I...I left you."

Lincoln wished that he could've hid the feelings well, but sadly he was not strong enough at this point to hold anything back. She could see his craved face, weeping silently, still firmly biting his lip, drawing some blood.

"I am so...so sorry" she whispered mournfully. "Hours after the dawn broke, I came back to my senses, and realized, that I had to have been the most horrible person who has ever lived. Even worse than my father...So I went back. I ran as fast as I could, still sore, but I ran, hoping that you were okay. But when I got there, the police were everywhere. Someone must have found you and brought you in." She started to weep. "But I didn't know if they had found you alive or dead..."

She lowered her head against the back of his hand, in a pitiable fashion, as if to start begging, then she spoke. "My child...my baby who had done nothing wrong to anyone...what happened to him, I wondered with tears. That day, I mourned my loss. I mourned and prayed that maybe by some divine fate that you were still alive. So that I could apologize to you and love you like I should have. Like my father should have done so with my brother and me. But I couldn't face my sin, and I was too much of a coward to claim you properly, and again I ran away. Then, I wished that maybe if I could not have you back, that fate would deliver you into more loving arms, that life granted you more happiness than it could afford me."

At this point, Lincoln broke down sobbing, partially to let some of the pain escape his frail form, but more for the grief his mother had put on herself. He had truly been given a miracle by being abandoned and found. His life was so full of wonder and love, something his biological mother also deserved desperately. Alas, fate could only be so kind to so few in life.

Lyla continued through her tears with a bit more vigor. "That's why I'm...I'm so happy to meet you now, to know that you were found safe and sound, to know that you've been given a chance, a better life than the one I could never have provided."

Lincoln couldn't bear the weight that either of their guilt and sadness had anymore. Hunching over, he let his forehead fall onto her cranium, his own body wracked with the trembling of his sobbing. His free arm was soon wrapped around her shoulders, pulling Lyla closer into a somber embrace. The warmth of his gesture soothed the hurt a little bit while their cries began to grow, and Lyla soon returned his embrace with another. For a while they had not spoken. Neither of them had the energy to speak. They held one another, for the longest time, comforting each other as they sobbed profusely, huddling close until they cried themselves dry.

Outside, the door was open ever so slightly, and each and every sister listened carefully. They themselves found it impossible not to shed a tear after hearing Lyla's sad tale. Even Lucy, the little morose girl, cried the same as the time when Lincoln ran away from home. Lori too found it hard not to be moved, but controlled her tears far better than her siblings.

Once the room had fallen silent again, Lyla continued to talk, calmly, sucking in some of her remaining tears.

"I spent the next two years on my own until social services finally caught up to me. I was terrified that they'd send me back to my father, but I found out he had committed suicide the night I left. Afterwards it was just me being passed around foster care. I was still a bad girl though, but the sin I had made it hard to feel worthy of any love I suppose..." she quipped. "My last foster parents, however...bless them, they were wonderful people and helped turn my life around. They helped me realize it wasn't too late to change, even at seventeen. I finally straightened my life out. Now, I have a job, I'm in school, and became the good girl I never thought I could be, one who could be capable of love."

She put her hands on Lincoln's cheeks, raising his face to meet hers. Noticing some remnants of tears, she wiped them away in a motherly fashion, the way her foster mother did at times. Even the blood on Lincoln's lip she took great care to clean off.

"But I thought about you, every single day of my life after that. How you might've turned out, what you might've had to live with, if you ever became interested in anything or whether you even looked like me or my brother...I would've loved for you to at least meet him." She paused a bit, quickly imagining how her late twin would've bonded with his future nephew. "I'm so proud of you Lincoln."

Lincoln couldn't help but release an embarrassing smile. He would've loved to meet his uncle too.

"I'm so proud to know that you're a better person than me. I know I have no right to say this but I...I hope that, someday, you'll be able to forgive me for everything."

Lincoln knelt up on the bed and put his arms over her shoulders, embracing his mother. "I already have..." he spoke confidently.

"Mom..." Lincoln softly whispered, burying his head into her shoulder, hugging her gently.

Lyla smiled and pressed his body softly into hers. "My son..."

Outside, the sky had slowly been turning a deep orange, the sun setting slowly behind the mountains. The day went by faster than any could have guessed, but to the mother and child now embracing dearly, it felt like an eternity of bonding, almost enough to make up for their lost time.

Suddenly, a cell phone rang, rudely interrupting the touching reunion.

"Shoot!" Lori whispered to herself. She closed the door a bit too late and both Lyla and Lincoln knew the girls had been listening now. A collectively dejected "awe" could be heard beyond the window.

"Hi Dad...yeah...yeah...I...I know...we'll be home soon...okay...love you too." She ended the call before facing back towards the door.

Lori pushed the door open again, letting herself in, while the rest of the sisters stayed behind. Lori turned back momentarily and gestured for the group to get to the van. "Sorry Linc, but...well, you know..."

Lincoln nodded to her and then looked back to Lyla. "Will we ever see each other again?" he asked with a glint of hope in his gaze.

"Well, you do know where I work now," she started with a smile. "And I want to see and hear as much of you as I possibly can, whenever you like." At first it seemed like wishful thinking to her, but she was genuine in her desires, even if a bit preposterous.

"I hope so too" he rejoiced, knowing full well that it'd be hard to do so, but Lincoln believed that it would work out somehow.

They both stood up from the bed and gave each other one final hug.

"I love you Lincoln, always" Lyla concluded, giving Lincoln one final kiss on his forehead, making him smile a bit more brightly than before. "Be good, son."

"Thanks, Mom" he replied softly to her. Soon they slowly parted ways, and Lincoln held his hand against the door. He turned around to give Lyla one last, shy wave, retaining his previous smile. Lori gently placed her hand on his shoulder and guided him through the door, to where his sisters were, awaiting their brother's return. A small smile escaped from her visage as he disappeared beyond the corridor.

"Lori, was it?" Lyla asked, once Lincoln had left the room, leaving her with the person for whom she owed a great deal of gratitude and apology to, despite having been committed to this hospital because of her.

Lori turned and changed to a blank expression. "It is" she replied briskly.

"I heard that you're to thank for this." she rubbed the cast over her nose.

"Yeah...sorry about that." Lori said, her mouth forcing a smile, playing the action off as best as she could.

"No...I kind of had it coming. I think it was long overdue anyways" Lyla admitted with a sigh. "He's a really special kid."

"I know." Lori felt a bit awkward, agreeing with the woman who just hours ago she was wishing harm onto. "I...heard what you said...you know, about keeping in touch with Lincoln..."

"If it could start to make up for all those years..."

A short sigh escaped Lori. "Yeah, yeah, I understand." Lori was tired of all the drama that occurred today, and having to face driving another few hours back home, she wanted to bury the hatchet and stop putting up a front. Pulling out her phone and napkin, and eyeing a small pencil on the end table near the hospital bed, she proceeded to write down her family's address and Lincoln's phone number. Handing the napkin to Lyla, she exhaled, and glared. "I know you're his mother and all, but so help me if you hurt him even once more..."

Lyla felt a tinge of fear momentarily, more than likely due to her recently acquired wounds at Lori's hands, but shook her head with firm certainty. "I understand. I'd say the same if I were in your shoes." Opening the napkin and tearing half the sheet, Lyla wrote her phone number and handed it to Lori, a soft smile upon her face. "Just in case you want to 'tell me off' yourself."

Lori grinned as her perception of Lyla softened with a bit of respect, and she accepted the other half. Turning on her heel, she strode, ready to join her siblings once more.

Lyla spoke as tender as a kiss. "Keep him safe, okay?"

Lori responded with a feint nod of her head, a small reassuring smile, and turned back to walk out the door.

"I always do."

As the door closed, Lyla heaved a sigh and returned to her bed, ready to rest again. As she approached her bed, her gaze soon turned towards the window. Amidst the red-orange hue, she noticed an old beat-up van driving slowly out the front entrance. The inhabitants inside were unbelievably lively, including the driver whom she had figured was trying to calm the passengers down. However, one passenger was already calm as it seemed; a white-haired boy with a noticeable smile. The van abruptly stopped as the driver began to, what seemed like, bark orders at the middle and back sections. The boy, however, turned his gaze towards the hospital, and directly to her room. Lyla waved goodbye, not knowing if her gesture could be seen given the setting sun was still on the window. She was soon caught off-guard as the boy waved back, a happy smile upon his face. And soon, one by one, the rest of the passengers, and the driver as well, joined the little boy in waving goodbye, not to the hospital, but actually to the woman in the window. It touched Lyla's heart to know her son was in good hands now and soon she was put at ease. The van soon drove off, down the winding road, disappearing like the rays of the setting sun.

End.


End file.
